Sunday, July 14, 2013

I love scouring Pinterest for little beauty/makeup tricks. I am always amazed when someone discovers a way to use a product for something other than what it was intended for (like Monistat anti-chaffing gel as a foundation primer. Whhaat?!) Along those same lines, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite products that does more than meets the eye. I'm talking about Suave dry shampoo!

1) Use it on your hair! I have very thick/course hair. It takes me FOREVER to straighten it, so when I do, I want to make it last a few days (sorry if that grosses you out!). I have tried a few different brands of dry shampoo, and this one is my favorite. It also has the best smell in my opinion.

2) Use it to set your makeup! One day I got to thinking, "If this stuff works so good at taking away shine in my hair, how would it work on my face?" After some experimenting, I decided this stuff was my new go-to makeup setter. It does a great job keeping my face matte and my makeup in place. After you have applied your foundation, hold the spray about 10 inches from your face and give it a quick mist. You will want to do this before putting on mascara as it will turn your eyelashes white.

3) Use it to turn your nail polish matte! While your polish is still wet, give it a very quick mist of the dry shampoo to achieve a matte finish. I'm not sure if this would work on gel polish, but it might be worth a try!

While we're on the topic, here's a couple more little tricks...Want to wear a skirt but afraid the ultra violet whiteness of your legs will blind oncoming traffic? Story of my life! Just mix a VERY small amount of ebony colored foundation with regular lotion and spread it on your skin for an instant bronze. You can keep experimenting with the foundation/lotion ratios until you are happy with the level of darkness.

Going swimming but want to keep your makeup on? Mix your mineral powder foundation (such as Bare Minerals) with your waterproof sunscreen lotion. I apply the mixture with a foundation brush. Then my redness and the occasional breakout can remain camouflaged even in the ocean!

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Aside from the pillow case dress, this might be the easiest baby dress tutorial you will come across! The neck hole is already there and the skirt is pre-hemmed, giving even the novice sewer (that's me!) the ability to look pro. You'll need an adult size t-shirt, measuring tape, scissors, thread, pins, and of course your sewing machine. Oh, and chalk would be helpful.

The measurements listed here will make about a size 6 month dress.
But because it is made from a t-shirt, if you use elastic thread for your gather,
it will stretch to fit several sizes, and eventually become a toddler sized shirt.
If you do not use elastic thread for gathering, these measurements will fit the 6 month baby.
With minor measurement tweaking, you can tailor this pattern to fit a newborn or a larger child.

I cut out a square of paper that was 9.5" wide and 6.5" tall as my dress top template.

Center your square of paper (I cut a neck hole in mine - not necessary) at the top of the shirt,

and use chalk to trace around it. Then cut!

Next, cut a 14" wide by 9.5" tall square out of the bottom of the t-shirt. This will be your skirt.

Now you have your two pieces.

I ironed about 1/16" of the raw edges down on the dress top and then sewed them.

Now that the raw edges have been sewn inward, the dress top is about 9 inches wide.

Your next step will be gathering the skirt fabric. The skirt is cut to 14 inches wide, but you'll be gathering it so that it is the same width as the dress top (approx. 9").

Now that you have gathered your 2 pieces of skirt fabric to be the same width as the dress top,

it's time to sew the skirt pieces to the dress top.

As pictured below, lay the dress open, inside-out.

Pin the right sides of the top and skirt fabric together, then sew.

You're almost done!

Now it's time to pin and sew the sides of the dress together (inside-out, of course).

I started from the bottom of the skirt, and sewed all the way up until about 4 inches down from the shoulder, then stopped. Otherwise, this dress would not have arm holes :P

Hahaha I've made that mistake before!

Once you sew the sides up, you are done! Although, I did get kind of crazy and embellished my dress with a few buttons! I might get EVEN MORE crazy next time and use two different colored t-shirts for my top and skirt! The possibilities are endless!

I love this dress because it is comfortable enough to sleep in.
So my little girl can go from church to her crib without having to change into PJ's for her nap.